The Kidnapping of Jayme Closs

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

We have all heard about kidnappings that occur among us from time to time, but in how many cases do we hear that the victim actually survives and escapes?

The Jayme Closs case is one of the lucky ones…in some ways. Back in October of 2018 in Barron, Wisconsin Jayme Closs was sleeping with her parents in their home when an intruder, Jake Patterson age 21, broke into their house and this is where the story begins. He had broke into the house with a shotgun. Then when the father, James Closs came down to investigate the situation, he was shot dead. Meanwhile upstairs Jayme’s mother, Denise Closs, was hiding with Jayme in a bathtub calling 911. When James went upstairs he forced Jayme’s mother to hang up the phone and shot her dead. While this was going on the police were heading to the house. When they arrived, they were too late and Jayme was already taken.

Unfortunately for Jayme, she not only was taken away from her home, but she also had to witness the murder of her own two parents. She was being kept captive 70 miles away in the home of her parent’s killer. She said that Patterson forced her to stay under the twin-sized bed he had. He would trap her there with laundry bins and weighed them down with weights. He would also play music whenever he had a guest over so they wouldn’t hear her. She said she would sometimes be trapped down there without food, water, and access to a toilet for sometimes 12 hours.

In those three months of being stuck in Patterson’s bedroom, Jayme finally found a way to escape. When Patterson told her he would be out for six hours, she pushed the weights away and got out from under the bed. She put on a pair of his shoes and walked out of the house. She ran toward a woman named Jeanne Nutter walking her dog, who took her to a nearby home and called the police.

This is how she made her daring escape. Right now Patterson is facing 2 counts of murder and kidnapping.

According to local media reports, lawyers said this in a joint statement, “There is a substantial amount of information, interest, and emotion involved in this case. Mr. Patterson’s legal team will be relying on the integrity of our judicial system to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected and respected.”

As of now Patterson is being held in the Barron County Jail, he is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide, and one count of kidnapping and one count of armed burglary. Jayme is still recovering from what happened and is living with her aunts.

Her community is celebrating her one month home. On Saturday, the Facebook page “Healing for Jayme Closs” said that Jayme is doing well and taking things one day at a time.